By Sherif Attar
In a world of ever-changing ambiguity and uncertainty, executives have to face two challenges: excellent performance and people development. Where many managers think those endeavours are “competing”, this author believes they are “completing”. GET DOWN TO BUSINESS argues.
In today’s virtual communication, we find ourselves adapting to many aspects. Meeting, training, presentation or workshops are conducted on line through Zoom and the likes. The good ones attempt to make it lighter and exciting. Enter virtual ice breakers!
Typically, an ice breaker can be a game, a quirky activity, a competition, or an exercise that’s designed to challenge the way people think.
Consider factors When Choosing Virtual Ice Breaker:
1. Objectives
Think creatively, help team members get to know one another.
2. People’s Comfort
Consider differences in language or culture!
3. Time
How frequently you use ice breakers will likely affect their content, and the time you spend on them.
4. People’s Location
Think about where your participants will likely be during the meeting: office, home, or a noisy café? This affects how long they can spend on the call, and whether they’ll participate.
Technology
Choose an activity that doesn’t rely on people seeing one another.Think how reliable people’s connections are, and how that might affect participation.
What to Communicate in Advance
Do you want them to prepare beforehand? Or, you want to keep the ice breaker a surprise?
Virtual Ice-Breaker Ideas?
Take a Picture of Your Shoes!
Ask team members to take a picture of their shoes and upload it ahead of the meeting.Then, at the start of the meeting, ask each participant to discuss his choice of shoe. Vary the exercise by asking team members to take a picture of an object on their desks, and getting them to talk about it.
1. The Social Question
Ask each participant a “social” question. So, you could find out what someone enjoys doing outside of work, or a funny story about something that happened recently, and so on. Ask everyone the same question, or different ones if you want more variety.
Here are some examples of what you might ask:
• An example of something you’ve done this week that you feel proud of.
• If you weren’t on this call, what would you like to be doing?
• If you could eat any dish right now, what would it be?
• Where would you most like to go on vacation?
2. The Time Machine
Ask the following question, to one participant at a time: “If you were able to travel through time, either forward or backward…:
• Where would you go?
• If backward, to which time period? Why?
• If there was a person you could go back in time and meet, who would it be, and why?
• Would you just want to visit and come back, or would you stay?”
3. Two Lies and a Truth
Ask each team member to prepare a list of three interesting “facts” about themselves, two of which must be made up. These could comprise anything, from a pet they own or a hobby they love to a famous person they say they’ve met, and so on.
Then, get other team members to decide on the facts they think are true. The team member who receives the most incorrect votes “wins.”
Source of ice breaker : the About Continuing Education
For questions or suggestions, please send your comments.
Sherif Attar, an independent management consultant/trainer and organisation development authority, delivers seminars in the US, Europe, Middle East and the Far East.
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